Condo pools are fantastic selling points that owners use to attract new tenants. But they can be a real headache, too. Code violations, resident safety concerns, and maintenance costs can all pile up if you neglect to follow best practices.

Today, our condo management company outlines 12 condo pool maintenance tips to help you control costs and stay code-compliant.

Condo Pool Tips

Unless your pool is less than 0.75 in depth, all condo pools are treated as public pools, which means they’re regulated by the Health Protection and Promotion Act. Our condo management team outlines some of the Act’s important points pertaining to owners:

• The surface of the pool deck must be maintained and kept free of hazards.
• The owner must ensure that the number of permitted bathers does not exceed the maximum allowed. Different limits are in place for the deck and pool. If no lifeguard is assigned, our condo management company typically recommends including this in your condo security rounds.
• Condo owners must maintain access to a telephone for emergency use within 30 meters of the pool. Your maintenance team must check that this phone works every day before opening the pool to the public.
• There must be a functional public address system in place, which can be heard from all areas of the pool.
• Condo owners must post written emergency and operational procedures pertaining to the pool.
• When the pool is not open to the public, it must be rendered “absolutely inaccessible.” Our condo management team recommends locking all accessways and de-activating the fob system in this area.
• Pool water must be kept clean. This means treating with chlorine or bromine compounds. Specific levels of alkalinity and ph balance must be maintained. The water must be tested every day before opening and at regular specified intervals. Test results must be recorded and maintained year-round. Condo owners must also follow prescribed chemical handling procedures.
• Condo owners must maintain the filtering system, which must remain in continuous operation, except during maintenance periods where the pool is rendered inaccessible to the public.
• Condo owners must install a black disc on a white background at the bottom of the pool, at its deepest point. The clarity and illumination of the water must be such that the black disc can clearly be seen from anywhere on the deck at a distance no less than 9 meters.
• Unless your pool is smaller than 93 square metres, strict lifeguard requirements must be met. If your pool falls within the lifeguard exemption size, you must post a sign alerting bathers that the area is unsupervised.
• If your pool has a diving board, it must be treated with a slip-prevention surface finish. Additionally, diving board platforms taller than 3 metres must be locked and gated when unsupervised.
• Change rooms, toilets, and showering facilities must be kept clean, free from falling hazards, and properly ventilated. However, condo owners are under no obligation to provide these facilities. Your residents can wrap up with a towel and walk back to their rooms. If you are looking to control maintenance costs but still want a pool, omitting these facilities is a great way to “have your cake and eat it too.”